U.S. Representatives push for hearing on East Palestine train derailment health monitoring bill

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Congressmen Chris Deluzio (D-PA-17) and Mike Carey (R-OH-15) sent a letter to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman and Ranking Member, calling for a hearing and swift committee review of the East Palestine Health Impact Monitoring Act of 2024.

PHOTOS: Massive explosion at start of controlled release of chemicals at train derailment

The bill would authorize funding through 2028 to conduct a study of the long-term health impacts of the East Palestine train derailment on Feb. 3, 2023.

A Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous material derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. A few days later, a massive explosion during a controlled release of the chemicals inside the train sent heavy black smoke pluming into the air over the small town.

One year after the derailment, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection said there was no evidence of contamination in western Pennsylvania from the derailment.

“We write today to request you hold a legislative hearing and markup on H.R. 8537, the East Palestine Health Impact Monitoring Act, which we have both cosponsored,” wrote the congressmen in a joint letter. “The residents of Darlington, Pennsylvania; East Palestine, Ohio; and the surrounding areas need to understand the long-term impacts of this disaster on their health, and the East Palestine Health Impact Monitoring Act will help achieve this. To ensure the assessment is a success, we support the Department of Health and Human Services technical assistance to the legislation to allow for appropriate time and resources to fully understand the impact of the spill to the surrounding community’s public health.”

The full letter is available here.

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